Last week we had Castlevania; now here's the remake, Super Castlevania IV. (I'm still a little bit impressed with myself for the way I managed to work both of these games into the week of Halloween while also appearing at the correct and accurate points in chronological rundowns of two different console libraries.) Unlike its NES predecessor, though, I don't think the series' 16-bit outing hit what it was shooting for quite as perfectly. There are some design choices on display that stumble over other parts of the game in a way that never happened in Castlevania and Castlevania III, and the difficulty level is annoyingly uneven. I've always thought highly of this game, and I have a lot of fond memories of; but going back into it with fresh eyes for this retrospective, I found I couldn't ignore its shortcomings.

Despite its rockier moments, though, I still love this game. It's such a unique take on the Castlevania concept that you can't help but admire it. To say nothing of its soundtrack! And the corny bits of Super Castlevania IV make it perfect for Halloween, too. It's one part action game, one part carnival haunted house.

While I can't comfortably consider it one of the series' finest moments, it's one of the most interesting. And that counts for a lot!